


Doombots, Bodyswaps and James

by TheCityLightShow



Series: Imagine Tony and Bucky Prompts [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bodyswap, Happy Ending, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8898925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCityLightShow/pseuds/TheCityLightShow
Summary: “Stevie? Could you say something?”“I- I don't know what you want me to say, James.” Steve's voice wavered, and Bucky narrowed his eyes, watching him and- oh god, there it was. The blush was blazing red across Steve's face just as Bucky was noticing it, and Bucky could feel his heart drop through his stomach to the floor.He'd thought that telling Steve was a good idea, that despite all his ribbing and teasing the punk might actually help – but he'd got it wrong. He should have told Tasha. She'd have laughed, sure, but it was better than this; better than realising with Steve's signature, tell-all blush that he wasn't the only one in love with their resident genius.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first prompt for [imaginetonyandbucky](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/) over on Tumblr. 
> 
> The prompt was: _I don't know if you already filled a similar prompt but I would love a body swap story! They switch bodies and maybe physical and mental characteristics with each other. Tony obtaining kick ass fighting skills/dealing with the arm and Bucky having super intelligence/dealing with the arc reactor. If this has already been done, maybe Tony switches bodies with Steve but before anyone finds out, Bucky confesses to "Steve" his feelings for Tony. Hilarity ensues. Or anything you want to do! Thx : ) [Anon]_

“Stevie? Could you say something?”

“I- I don't know what you want me to say, James.” Steve's voice wavered, and Bucky narrowed his eyes, watching him and- oh god, there it was. The blush was blazing red across Steve's face just as Bucky was noticing it, and Bucky could feel his heart drop through his stomach to the floor.

He'd thought that telling Steve was a good idea, that despite all his ribbing and teasing the punk might actually help – but he'd got it wrong. He should have told Tasha. She'd have laughed, sure, but it was better than this; better than realising with Steve's signature, tell-all blush that he wasn't the only one in love with their resident genius.

Before he could open his mouth to panic, or take back those awful _awful_ words _-_ “I'm in love with Stark, Stevie” - the Avengers alarm sounded throughout the floors of the Tower, and Tony's voice came over Jarvis's usual speakers.

“ _Quinjet in five, Doombots in New Jersey. T-Steve, can I speak to you a moment?_ ”

Tony's voice made Steve shake the utter shock from his face. “Bucky-”

“Go. After.” Bucky spoke around the lump in his throat, and Steve reluctantly nodded and turned away.

Fucking _perfect_ timing there, Doom.

 

Bucky was on the ground at Steve's six when Iron Man stuttered into view over the tops of the buildings. Steve hissed out a swear that made Bucky do a double-take at his friend in shock, because Steve swore, sure, but he wasn’t _that_ creative, just as Clint asked over the comm's; “You okay, Tony? Looking rather unsteady there.”

“I'm fine.” Tony's voice was slightly panicked and Iron Man dropped at little in the sky. Bucky had to tear his eyes away from the red and gold suit he admired so greatly to shove his just as lovingly-Stark-crafted arm through the chest cavity of a bot that he hadn't picked off. “Ish.”

Steve's shield bounced back to him and he caught it with ease, though he shifted with the landing. “Iron Man, are you _sure_ you're alright?” Steve sounded nervous, and the tension suddenly building on the comm's proved to Bucky what a rarity that was – Steve could be irritated, resigned and even concerned – but nervous was new.

“Relax, Sh-Winghead. I got this.” Iron Man dropped unsteadily again, and Clint stifled a laugh.

“Are you _drunk?_ ” Clint asked, and there was a yelp as Natasha threw something at him.

“No, he's _not_.” Steve retorted with a surprising amount of venom – Bucky's heart was back in his stomach and sinking lower again – but then he followed it up with a quiet “surprisingly” that only Bucky heard, and now he was just _angry_.

Iron Man landed in front of Bucky, and snapped off a sloppy salute before settling into a rhythm that he hadn't had in the sky. He worked in sync with Stevie, as always, and Bucky scrambled to cover Tasha now that he wasn't needed at Steve's six.

Bucky couldn't help but watch the two of them, and wonder how he hadn't noticed Steve's feelings before.

 

Tony chose to ride back in the jet – meaning Steve snapped at him with “Stark, jet, now!” – and Bucky had to batter the worry that surged up with a baseball bat and the iron-will left by the Soldier. It wasn't his job to worry about Tony – because when it came to it, he wouldn't deny Steve, would he? It was Tony's choice, always, but if he picked Steve, Bucky wasn't going to do a thing to change his mind.

They were arguing in a corner, whisper-yelling at each other and Bucky couldn't catch most of it under Clint complaining that “Mom and Dad are fighting again!”

There was another thing – everyone called them Mom and Dad like they were an old married couple. Steve had genuinely grounded Clint after a press conference fiasco, and Tony referred to himself as the Cool Mom. Bucky must've been as blind as Clint is deaf, as much as Tony couldn't fly today-

Tony couldn't fly today, but that wasn't right. Bucky has sat through Tony's good nights and bad nights in the lab, has sat through with him after nightmares and work binges and one glass too many before Tony decided to quit six months ago. Even when hour 72 of no sleep had dawned and there was a little too much scotch in his veins, Tony still flew like it wasn't the suit doing the work – like it was just him.

But today, clearly sober, Tony couldn't fly; and Steve shifted with the force of his shield with each catch, had held off on the parkour and the acrobatics the punk liked to pull just to give Bucky a heart-attack in his old age. Last week they'd been hit by some weird-ass laser A.I.M. had cooked up, Bucky reflected as he took his place at the hellicarrier meeting table for debrief, but afterwards insisted they were both fine. Bruce had agreed that they appeared to be in perfect health – but they'd been acting weird, now Bucky thought about it. Par for course; Tony was sat opposite Bucky, completely focused on Fury, while Steve sat to his left and would. Not. Stop. Fidgeting.

Oh, Jesus _Christ._

“He wasn't drunk.” Bucky cut off the accusations Fury was throwing at Tony(Steve?) and the table fell silent. “Were you Stark?” and he looked at Steve(Tony?)

“Ah.” Was the only reply he got, and that was answer enough. A beat of silence, and then;

“Wait, are you two _body-swapped?!”_ Clint exclaimed, nearly falling off his perch on the arm of his chair as he laughed. Tony(Steve!) shifted uncomfortably, but met Bucky's gaze when he turned to glare at him. Clint yelped when Natasha shoved him off, ordering him out in Russian.

Bruce left without having to be told, nudging Thor along and glaring the director into submission so that Steve, Tony and Bucky were alone in the room. The second the door clicked shut Bucky stood up.

“What the fuck were you idiots thinking?!” he yelled, and both of them flinched. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous it was not to tell us? Do you even know if you're going to switch back, or when?” Tony-in-Steve (not a good thought) went to reply and Bucky simply held up a hand to stop him. “No. You should have told us, or at least Bruce. But instead you had to try and wait it out, didn't cha? Stubborn-ass punks.” he growled and Steve-in-Tony looked extremely sheepish.

“'M sorry, Buck.” he mumbled, and it was weird to hear the nickname fall in Tony's voice, because Tony always called him-

Tony always called him James.

“You know.” Bucky whispered, catching Tony-in-Steve's gaze as the colour drained from his face. Tony-in-Steve looked instantly mortified. “You sat there and _let_ me tell you-” he stalled.

“No, James- it wasn't-” Tony-in-Steve began, but Steve-in-Tony (now Bucky's head just hurt) cut him off, a smile dawning on his borrowed face.

“Please, tell me today was the day you finally admitted you love Tony.” Bucky groaned and flopped back into his seat, unable to look at the two men opposite him.

“I thought you were gonna say you loved Steve.” Tony-in-Steve muttered, and Bucky winced at the laugh that got before he realised what he'd said.

“You think I'm in love with Steve?” Bucky asked in confusion. Tony-in-Steve waved a hand awkwardly between them.

“Love story for the ages.” he muttered, and there was Steve's blush back in force – by Tony's emotions. Oh god, earlier wasn't _Steve_ being in love with _Tony_ it was... _I'm not so narcissistic as to love myself_ , Tony had once joked when someone brought up the startling amount of Tony/Iron Man fan-fiction that existed at a press conference, which meant- Steve had the most shit-eating grin on his (well, Tony's) face.

“God no.” Bucky whispered, grinning, overwhelmed with relief because the blush Tony's emotions had caused were caused by _shock_ , and maybe hope if Bucky was lucky, not by jealousy or anger or embarrassment on Bucky's behalf like he'd thought. Bucky moved around the table to kiss Tony-in-Steve's forehead, because he sure as hell wasn't kissing Stevie's face, no way no how. “Only you, doll.” he teased, and Steve's blush was there in full force before-

 

A bright searing light not unlike the one a week previous and then-

 

The shit-eating grin was back on Steve's face, and Tony looked stunned all on his own.

“Out, Stevie.” Bucky told him, and Steve rolled his eyes as he stood up.

“Be good to him.” Steve tossed over his shoulder, and laughed when he received two _“which one?”_ s in reply.

“So- so you love me, huh.” Tony asked, hands now fiddling with the phone Steve hadn't even removed from his pocket. Bucky hummed an affirmative, but didn't speak until Tony looked up at him.

“How come you could use the shield, but Steve couldn't fly?” he asked, and Tony looked thrown by the question for a moment. He relaxed as Bucky moved to take Steve's seat at his side.

“One bit of muscle memory we didn't keep.” Tony explained. “But I've been-” he paused. “I used to have a toy shield, as a kid. Practised a lot...” he shrugged, like he hadn't just revealed one of the first good things Bucky had heard about his childhood. “Didn't realise I was going off my muscle memory and not his until he came into view.” He was staring down at his phone again, not really doing anything but turning the mostly-glass rectangle in his hands.

It took Bucky a minute to gather up the courage, because even though Tony _knew_ , it didn't feel like he'd said it yet. Bucky placed his hand over Tony's, stilling them, and smiled as charming as he knew how to when Tony looked up to catch his gaze. “I love you, Tony Stark.”

Tony's grin was utterly blinding for the few seconds Tony took to move, leaning forward to capture Bucky's lips with his own. “I love you too, James.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to give me a prompt, send me an ask at my **[tumblr](http://thecitylightshow.tumblr.com/)** , and I'll get to it soon! And of course, please check out the blog, [imaginetonyandbucky](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/), there's some absolutely beautiful pieces of work over there that deserve everyone's support!


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